City implements safety measures at Higgins and Main public washrooms

The city has taken several steps to address security concerns at a downtown public washroom built to provide a clean “place to go” for vulnerable Winnipeggers.

A civic report indicates important services are still being provided at the Amoowigamig facility at Main Street and Higgins Avenue, though it is run differently now than when it first opened in May 2022.

“Operations were adjusted in response to changing community needs and safety concerns, including behaviours ranging from verbal threats to physical assault. (The) measures include limiting the number of people in the space at one time, keeping doors locked to manage entry and allow for one-on-one support, and temporarily suspending access for individuals exhibiting violent behaviour,” Greg MacPherson, the city’s senior co-ordinator for community development, said in the report.

MacPherson did not detail the specific dangers experienced at the site, which the city says have been an issue since at least 2024.

The chairwoman of city council’s community services committee said extra steps are needed to protect staff.

“Obviously, we want to keep our spaces open to the public, but if there are safety concerns, I think that should still be No. 1…. It’s disheartening to see that the mental-health and addictions issue plagues our downtown at this type of level, where staff at (Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, which operates the site)… have to find ways to protect themselves,” said Coun. Vivian Santos.

However, Santos (Point Douglas) said there is a clear need for the downtown washroom. The report notes there were 48,400 visitors to the facility in 2025, up about 4,000 from the previous year.

“To be able to still provide a washroom and dignity for people is still needed,” she said. “I would rather (people) go use a public washroom than going around the corner and defecating on a business,” she said.

The architect who designed Amoowigamig said he is sympathetic to the challenges faced by people staffing the facility.

“We’re going through a rough time in the downtown and we know that,” said Wins Bridgman. “We expect that this won’t last forever, but we understand the strains that the operation has on the people who are engaged in (this) washroom and really need to treat them as heroes.”

Bridgman said many people now depend on the “basic amenity,” highlighting the need to keep the washroom operating.

“We have to remember that if those facilities weren’t there, there would be 48,000… (people) in terrible discomfort and having, often, no other options than to urinate or defecate outside,” he said.

“We really have to respect the public responsibilities of providing washrooms for everyone…. If they’re to come downtown, there needs to be washrooms available. Both economically and socially, this is a direction that we all need to work on to provide dignity to everyone.”

In 2025, Ma Mawi staff provided critical help to the community, including saving “dozens of lives” in and around the washroom by distributing naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, the city report states.

Staff also provided hygiene and harm-reduction supplies to the washroom’s visitors, who included people experiencing homelessness, and helped connect them with employment income assistance and housing supports, it adds.

Supporters of the downtown washroom have pushed the city to pay for it to be operated 24 hours a day, but safety concerns were also raised about extending its hours. A 2023 city staff report noted Ma Mawi did not want to operate it from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. due to safety risks.

Amoowigamig is currently open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Santos said most violent incidents that take place in the area happen between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. and the city is not considering round-the-clock operations.

The permanent downtown washroom is part of the city’s “Places to Go” strategy, which also includes porta-potties at busy inner-city locations. While up to six of those temporary facilities were available in past years, there were just two in 2025, at 185 Young St. and 400 Cumberland Ave.

The city said the porta-potties faced “significant challenges,” including vandalism, structural damage, fires, improper disposal of sharp objects and the theft of everything from toilet-paper holders to urinals and toilet seats.

“These conditions have made it increasingly difficult for the third-party contractor responsible for servicing the units to maintain them in a safe and operational condition,” MacPherson said in the report.

“Ongoing misuse and damage have frequently required units to be removed from service or relocated, contributing to service disruptions and increased operational strain.”

Santos said the temporary washrooms have proven much more difficult to maintain, since staff are not dedicated to monitor them at all times.

“If we cannot locate a non-profit organization to continue to watch over them (with appropriate funding), we might see this program disappear,” she said.

— With files from Carol Sanders

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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